Current weather

Bill could get another revision

There could be at least one more version of foster care reform legislation before the General Assembly ends next Thursday. That became clear this week when House Judiciary passed its own substitute rather than vote on a Senate bill that would privatize all foster care starting in mid- 2015.

Critics said child protective services are the state’s biggest problem, not foster care, and they are united that foster care reform legislation is moving too quickly.

Senate Bill 350 would phase in expanded community-based foster care services starting July 1 next year, affecting about half of some 8,000 children who are in state foster care custody. The transition would last two years with full implementation not later than June 30, 2017.

The House substitute proposed by Judiciary Chairman Rep. Wendell Willard would require a two-year pilot project in three of the state’s 15 established service regions. The state Division of Family and Children Services would select the regions. No more than 35 percent of a region’s services could be privatized during the pilot project that would start July 1 this year.

Willard played host to a stakeholders meeting last week, in essence, a public vetting on Senate Bill 350.

“The thing that kept coming through the comments I heard was people are in favor of DFCS looking at alternative ways of delivering services,” Willard said. “The question was the timing of how we build on that as opposed to saying do everything for the private providers.”

Senate Bill 350 evolved from a foster care working group established by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. The group heard extensive testimony in several meetings last fall prior to the start of the 2014 General Assembly. Sen. Unterman served on the working group and she has tried to allay concerns of those who believe the foster care reform timetable is being rushed.

“A lot of people say we’re moving too fast but when you look at the plan it’s a two-year-plan,” Unterman said at Tuesday’s House Judiciary hearing. “It’s not like overnight you blink your eyes and all of a sudden you’re going into further privatization.”

The original Senate bill required that DFCS officials would submit their privatization plan to Gov. Nathan Deal and the Legislature by Jan. 1, 2015, with phase-in implementation to start six months later. Stakeholders complained it said nothing about how to involve foster care providers in that discussion.

On Tuesday, Unterman proposed an SB 350 amendment to create a Child Welfare Services Planning Commission with 11 members “who shall represent local community participation,” for example, community-based provider organizations, current foster care parents and the faith-based community.

However, the amendment did not give the proposed commission authority to make binding decisions and in that regard, its work would be primarily advisory only. House Judiciary did not vote on the amendment.

The Legislature has just three session dates until Sine Die: Day 38 on Thursday, Day 39 next Tuesday and then the Big One: Day 40 next Thursday. This legislation will likely need every possible available moment of House and Senate negotiation and compromise if any agreement is to be reached.